The Washington Post front page blares today: “Prospects for Public Option Dim in Senate.” [1] Don’t believe it. Yes, the Senate Finance Committee did vote down two amendments that each would have added a government-run insurance plan to the committee’s health care bill. But two key Democrats who voted against Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-WV) public plan, Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Tom Carper (D-DE), voted for Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) version.

According to an independent analysis [2] of Senate Democrat public statements on the public option, that raises the number of Democrats on record supporting a public option from 47 to 49. Moreover, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairmen of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, told the liberal “Bill Press Radio Show” yesterday that Democrats “comfortably” [3] have the remaining votes to reach 51 and pass a public plan once the debate moves to the House floor.

But what about Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) claim yesterday that, “No one has been able to show me how we can count up to 60 votes with a public option.” That may be true, but it is also irrelevant. The question is not whether Democrats can muster 60 votes to pass Obamacare; they only need 51 votes to do that. The only time the number 60 will be relevant is when the Senate votes on whether to end debate and vote on the final bill. This is a separate question. We can see Senators from red states like Ben Nelson (D-NE), Blanch Lincoln (D-AR), and Kent Conrad (D-ND) voting against an amendment creating a public option. But voting with Republicans against their party and against their President to support a Republican filibuster? That would take a lot of courage. It would guarantee that these Democrats would face fierce opposition from their leftist bases back home. Just ask the left’s new whip for the public option, Michael Moore. Speaking to women’s groups and unions in Washington, DC, yesterday, Moore warned [4]:

To the Democrats in Congress who don’t quite get it: I want to offer a personal pledge. I – and a lot of other people – have every intention of removing you from Congress in the next election if you stand in the way of health care legislation that the people want. That is not a hollow or idle threat. We will come to your district and we will work against you, first in the primary and, if we have to, in the general election.

Moore is, of course, the perfect spokesman for the public option. He is in Washington promoting his new film “Capitalism: A Love Story” in which Moore argues that “Capitalism is an evil, and you can’t regulate evil.” [5] A more succinct summation of theory behind the public option does not exist. While supporters of the plan, including the White House, insist that the purpose of the public option is to bring “choice and competition” to the health care, nothing could be further from the truth. As Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Anthony Weiner (D-NY) [6] Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein, and Noble Prize winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman have all candidly admitted, the public option is nothing more than a Trojan horse for a single-payer, government-run health care system. [7] Moore even told Rolling Stone magazine [8] this summer:

If a true public option is enacted — and Obama knows this — it will eventually bring about a single payer system, because the profit-making insurance companies won’t be able to compete with a government run plan and make the profits they want to make.

So just how close are we to being inflicted with the Obama/Moore dream of anti-capitalist, competition-free, government-run health care? Closer than many realize. Multiple sources on the Hill have told The Foundry [9] that as early as next week, the Senate could be debating Obamacare. Senate Majority Leader Reid has stated an intention to take the HELP Committee product and merge it with the Senate Finance Committee markup that is expected to be over by this Thursday or Friday. Their plan [10] is to proceed to a House passed non-health care bill to provide a shell of legislation to give Obamacare a ride to the House and then straight to the President’s desk.

Quick Hits:

* According to a Government Accountability Office, state and federal officials failed to detect $65 million in Medicaid prescription drug fraud [11], including thousands of prescriptions written for dead patients or by people posing as doctors during 2006 and 2007. * A historic bridge at Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library is slated to get $2.5 million [12] of federal stimulus money. * The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to President Barack Obama [13], is releasing a report calling on Obama to further break his ‘no tax increase on middle-class families’ pledge. * A former ACORN field director testified in court [14] yesterday about extra payments to Las Vegas canvassers for bringing in 21 new registration cards in a day. * In 2008, the median household income in the United States plummeted 3.6% from the year before, and the percentage of people living in poverty soared to an 11-year high [15], according to U.S. Census data.

President Obama and liberals in Congress seem intent on passing comprehensive health care reform, even though polls suggest it is unpopular with the American people. And despite the potential political risks to moderate Democrats, the President and left-wing leadership in Congress are determined to pass the measure using a rare parliamentary procedure.

The Senate plans to attach Obamacare to a House-passed non-healthcare bill. Ironically, nobody knows what that legislation looks like, because it has not yet been written. Yet many members plan to rubber-stamp Obamacare without reading or understanding the bill.

The Senate Finance Committee worked furiously last week to mark up a “conceptual framework” of health care reform. The committee actually rejected an amendment by Sen. Jim Bunning (R.-Ky.) to mandate that the bill text and a final cost analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) be publicly available at least 72 hours before the Finance Committee votes on final passage.

The following four-step scenario describes one way liberals plan to work the rules in their favor to get Obamacare through the Senate:

Step 1: The Senate Finance Committee must first approve the marked-up version of Sen. Max Baucus’ (D.-Mont.) conceptual framework. Then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) can say that two Senate Committees have passed a health care bill, which will allow him to take extraordinary steps to get the bill on the Senate floor.

During the mark-up last week, members had difficulty offering amendments and trying to make constructive changed because they lacked actual legislative text and Baucus made unilateral last minute changes. For example, the AP reported that “under pressure from fellow Democrats, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee decided to commit an additional $50 billion over a decade toward making insurance more affordable for working-class families.”

Step 2: Sen. Reid will take the final product of the Senate Finance Committee and merge it with the product of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which passed on a party-line vote in July.

Usually, a bill is voted out of committee, and then the Senate takes up the final product of the committee so that all 100 senators can have a hand in the process. With some help from the Obama administration, Reid will decide what aspects of the HELP and Finance Committee bills to keep.

Step 3: Now, Obamacare will be ready to hitch a ride on an unrelated bill from the House. Sen. Reid will move to proceed to H.R. 1586, a bill to impose a tax on bonuses received by certain TARP recipients. This bill was passed by the House in the wake of the AIG bonus controversy and is currently sitting on the Senate Legislative Calendar.

The move to proceed needs 60 votes to start debate. After the motion is approved, Sen. Reid will offer Obamacare as a complete substitute to the unrelated House-passed bill. This means that the entire healthcare reform effort will be included as an amendment to a TARP bill that has been collecting dust in the Senate for months.

Step 4: For this strategy to work, the proponents would need to hold together the liberal caucus of 58 Democrats (including Paul Kirk who was named last Thursday to replace Sen. Kennedy), and the two Independent senators (Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont). These members will have to all hold hands and vote against any filibuster. Once the Senate takes up the bill, only a simple majority of members will be needed for passage. It’s possible one of the endangered moderate Democrats, such as Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), could vote to stop a filibuster then vote against Obamacare so as not to offend angry constituents.

Once the Senate passes a bill and sends it to the House, all the House would have to do is pass the bill without changes and President Obama will be presented with his health care reform measure. If this plan does not work, the Senate and House leadership may go back to considering using reconciliation to pass the legislation.

Adopting this secret plan will not strike most Americans as a transparent, bipartisan, effective way to change how millions of Americans get their health care.

Brian Darling is director of U.S. Senate Relations at The Heritage Foundation.

“The Obama administration has privately concluded that a cap and trade law would cost American taxpayers up to $200 billion a year, the equivalent of hiking personal income taxes by about 15 percent.“

“A previously unreleased analysis prepared by the U.S. Department of Treasury says the total in new taxes would be between $100 billion to $200 billion a year. At the upper end of the administration's estimate, the cost per American household would be an extra $1,761 a year.”

“One reason the bill faces an uncertain future is concern about its cost. House Republican Leader John Boehner has estimated the additional tax bill would be at $366 billion a year, or $3,100 a year per family. Democrats have pointed to estimates from MIT's John Reilly, who put the cost at $800 a year per family, and noted that tax credits to low income households could offset part of the bite. The Heritage Foundation says that, by 2035, "the typical family of four will see its direct energy costs rise by over $1,500 per year."

Today, “Senate Democrats on Wednesday introduced a sweeping bill aimed at combating climate change, pushing forward with President Obama's call to tackle global warming even though Congress is waist-deep in debate over health care reform."

So, the bottom line is they know that it is going to cost all of us and extra $1,761 per year and yet they still want to ram this through? Do you have an extra $1,761 just laying around for the government to take—we don’t.

Call/write/email the White House/Senate/Congress and tell them to vote “NO” on this legislation as it is currently proposed. It’s my money and yours, don’t let the government take anymore of it away!

Do we live in a "Do as I say, not as I do" country? Sometimes it appears that way!

Congress—they don’t pay their taxes and they still get appointed to high ranking positions within the government!

News release from Rep. John Boehner:

WASHINGTON, DC – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after Rep. John Carter (R-TX) announced his intention to offer a privileged resolution next week to force a vote on removing Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) as Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, pending completion of the Ethics Committee investigation that is now in its second year:

“Working families across America are struggling in today’s economy, and they need to have confidence that the individual in charge of the House’s tax-writing panel is following the laws the committee is charged with crafting and overseeing. It is improper for Rep. Rangel to remain in a position with such vast power and influence while serious questions about his official conduct continue to multiply and go unanswered. Several weeks ago I wrote a letter to Rep. Rangel asking him to step aside while the Ethics Committee conducts its investigation. He has not done so, and his fellow Democrats have voted to protect him every step of the way.

“When Democrats took the majority, Speaker Pelosi promised the most ‘open and ethical’ Congress in history. Given the nature and severity of the charges against Rep. Rangel, I would urge all my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, to do the right thing and support the Carter resolution next week.”

Along this same mind-set:

Congress--they have “opted out” of participating in the health care that they are forcing us to accept and it’s been proposed that if we don’t get health insurance (according to them), we’ll pay a penalty or go to jail!

HYPOCRITES!

Have you heard of the “Rangel Rule”—it is proposed by Rep. John Carter of Texas and states that “if you're caught cheating on your taxes, you would pay what you owe, then write "Rangel Rule" at the top of your return, and you wouldn't be charged any penalty or interest.”

Now, we are not advocating breaking the law, we’re just saying, “fare is fare” and if the politicians aren’t going to participate in the health care that they are forcing on us, then we should be able to express our dissatisfaction in a similar fashion (without penalties or jail time) as the “Rangel Rule” would allow. We feel that we should be able to write something similar across the top of our government-issued insurance forms when we declare that we do not want what they are providing!

What do you think? What could we write across the top of our insurance forms? How about “Congressional Coverage” or “Representative Repudiation”?

We’d love to know your suggestions and urge you to share them with your elected Representatives as well.

Summer is gone, but the passion that was alive and well during the August town halls has not diminished. Please continue to write/call/email the White House, Senate, and Congress and let them know how you feel—it does matter and you are making a difference!

"The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse. Do you feel as though the power we gave our politicians has been abused?" (James Madison-from a speech in the Virginia Constitutional Convention, 12/2/1829)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The picture above kinda makes me angry. What is Jeff Darcy trying to say in this picture? Even Old Glory belongs to the people first ! Correct me if I am wrong. I could spend hours picking apart this pic, but I think you can judge for your self of what picture the liberal media is painting of the Tea Party Patriots. It does not insult me but it does make me want to fight harder, because no matter how much they ignore the Tea Parties, someone is hearing us loud and clear!

Fellow Tea Party PatriotsAs we continue the fight to save our country, we must not lose sight of the problems plaguing our state of Ohio. AS we all know, and as numerous reports, studies, and polls show, due to archaic tax laws and business killing policies - Ohio is dying a slow death.As witnessed with our blown state budget, which is now akin to a Grand Canyon size gap, we must also concentrate our efforts here at home.

It is time for us to "Take Ohio Back for Ohio"

There is currently a package of 10 "job creating, tax-lowering, student & economic development -friendly" proposals in the Ohio House Economic Development Committee that are not only receiving no attention -- but they are being ignored. We cannot allow this to happen!The Tea Party Patriots and all our fellow conservative groups in OH must save our state from hemorrhaging more jobs and further plunging into an economic abyss - we must Take Ohio Back for Ohio! Our first step is to get educated on the "Future of Ohio" package languishing in the OH House. We have contacted the office of State Rep. Nan Baker (R-Westlake), the ranking minority leader on the OH House Economic Development Committee, & State Rep. Todd Snitchler (R-Uniontown) for more information on these proposals....

"Future of Ohio"

Employer tax credit to hire unemployed Ohioans:H.B. 277 (Todd Snitchler) would authorize a nonrefundable tax credit for hiring and employing previously unemployed individuals. Ohio businesses that hire previously unemployed individuals will receive a $2,400 tax credit for each such employee that they employ. Each credit will be claimable for up to two years so long as the employee was unemployed for four consecutive weeks immediately preceding their hiring date; the employee is lawfully employable in the United States; and the employee is continuously employed by the employer claiming the credit for a period of two years.

Small business capital loans: This bill would authorize the creation of a low to zero interest loan program for small businesses through the local business linked deposit program.

Tax credits for Ohio graduates:H.B. 144 (Cheryl Grossman) would grant an income tax credit eliminating tax liability for five years for individuals who obtain a baccalaureate degree and who reside in Ohio. Eliminating the state income tax liability for graduates will allow them to use the extra money to help pay back their student loans and other debts incurred during college, as well as attract college students from other states.

Tax credits for specialized crafts: This bill would apply the income tax provisions of H.B. 144 to any person in a trade who has reached the journeyman status or its equivalent.

Estate tax relief: This bill would reduce the estate tax, authorize townships and municipal corporations to exempt from the estate tax by initiative any estate property located in the township or municipal corporation, and distribute all estate tax revenue originating in a township or municipal corporation that does not exempt property from the tax to the township or municipal corporation of origin.

Small business regulatory reforms – S.B. Companion 3 (Keith Faber): S.B. 3, a package of small business reforms, is currently under consideration in the House State Government Committee and has been under debate since mid-March. In order to expedite passage of S.B. 3’s key provisions, we drafted companion legislation covering three key proposals to help businesses cut through bureaucratic red tape and provide accountability in crafting agency regulations.

Small business resource portal: This bill would direct ODOD to create an online small business resource center (expanding upon the existing Ohio Business Gateway) on its internet website, to serve as a clearinghouse of information relevant to Ohio businesses.

Private Sector compensatory time – S.B. 17 Companion (Kevin Coughlin): This proposal would provide more flexibility, allowing an employer to instead provide compensatory time, or paid time off of work. The intent of this legislation is to enable employers to provide a more family friendly work environment by providing flexibility for their employees. S.B. 17

Tracking job placement success: This bill would require the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to submit annually to the leaders of the General Assembly a copy of the report submitted to the United States Department of Labor pursuant to the federal Workforce Investment Act and to make a copy of the report available on the department's website.

Analyzing company exodus: This bill would require the Ohio Department of Development to produce a report of companies that have relocated out of Ohio, develop a standard questionnaire to elicit the reasons why those companies have chosen to leave Ohio, and share its findings with the legislature.

Now -- to get this going, with the same energy we've already shown in our battle against a country-killing Cap & Trade bill and government run health care, we are asking phone calls, emails and letters be sent to Gov. Strickland, OH House Speaker Rep. Armond Budish, Democrat members on the OH House Economic Development Committee & your local OH State Rep's and urge them to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to saving jobs and saving our state!Governor Strickland

“During this economic crisis, with everything at stake, Ohio cannot afford another second of inaction on the part of House leadership,” Baker said. “As the ranking minority member of the House Economic Development Committee, I have become increasingly frustrated by the Democrat leadership’s unwillingness or inability to lead. Therefore, House Republicans worked tirelessly over summer recess to create a collection of economic proposals that could potentially turn the economy around.”

The press conference, in conjunction with four other conferences across the state, was conducted to address the failure of the Democrat-controlled Economic Development Committee to conduct regular, productive hearings on the economic condition of Ohio.

“The Republican caucus is focused on what Ohioans care about the most, jobs and economic development,” Batchelder said. “While Democrats have not given priority to the creation of jobs, we have been working on solutions for Ohio’s economy.”

Frustrated with inaction on the part of Governor Strickland and the Economic Development Committee, Republican members engaged in discussions with the local business community for ideas to revamp Ohio's economy. Based on their findings from market research and conversations with constituents, the House Republicans created a package of proposals that were announced at the press conferences and will be introduced in the coming weeks.

“So far, the Democrats have not shown that they are willing to make any important decisions regarding economic development within our state,” Hall said. “How many more businesses and young people need to flee the state before the Democrats decide they need to act?”

Among these ten bills are proposals to offer employer tax credits to hire unemployed Ohioans and to grant income tax credits for college graduates who remain in Ohio. Altogether, these bills are designed to provide resources to small businesses, offer incentives for businesses and young people to remain in Ohio, and track Ohio's progress in rebuilding its economy.“In presenting a package of economic proposals, our goal is to spark an honest, constructive debate about the best course of action for Ohio’s future,” Amstutz said. “House Republicans have a specific plan in place to bring about economic recovery, but since the onset of this General Assembly our voices have been silenced, regardless of how practical our ideas were.”

“This recession is affecting all Ohioans, both Republican and Democrats,” Snitchler said. “We need to all work together to provide a solid foundation for Ohio’s economic future. We encourage lawmakers at all levels of government to consider our proposals and use them as they wish—changing the course of Ohio is what is important, not receiving credit or praise.”

The House Economic Development Committee has only met four times since the commencement of the 128th General Assembly and has yet to pass a single bill. The only item to pass out of committee was an ineffectual House Resolution that created the Compact With Ohio Cities Task Force, which focuses on local municipalities rather than the economic health of the entire state.

“Ohioans have entrusted us to make difficult decisions during difficult times, and we have an obligation to uphold our commitment,” Boose said. “This is not the time to coast. This is not the time to sit back with our fingers crossed. Ohio needs action, and if the Democrats won’t step up to the plate then I will.”

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Since we are not already burdened with too many taxes in OH our robed Republican rubes riding the big bench in Columbus ruled it is OK for gross receipts of grocery stores to be taxed...

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state can continue to collect a business tax when it’s applied to grocery store food sales, avoiding what could have been an $188 million annual hole in the state budget.In a 6-1 decision, the court upheld the collection of the Commercial Activities Tax on food sold by grocery stores and others for offsite consumption. The Ohio Grocers Association had argued that applying the tax to food sales violated the state Constitution, which prohibits sales taxes on the sale of food that’s taken off store premises to eat.The tax amounts to 26 cents per $100 in sales over $1 million, or a flat rate of $150 for the first $1 million in sales, as long as sales are above $150,000. State tax officials estimate the portion of the tax collected on food receipts would amount to about $188 million a year.Lawmakers have called the tax as one levied on the privilege of doing business in Ohio, but grocers argued the payment amounted to a sales tax.The court rejected that argument, noting that state laws are given a strong presumption of constitutionality and that the court was required to uphold the tax if it may “plausibly be determined as permissible.” (Canton Repository)

And one would presume a State Supreme Court Justice would be smart enough to realize that if the grocery stores are taxed on the total amount of food items they sell then this cost will be passed onto consumers on the un-taxed grocery items they purchase - thus creating a sales tax on groceries.I love how they say you must pay for the "privilege" of doing business in OH.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Fellow PatriotsThis is just in from Arzella of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots and the Co-Coordinator for the Grass Roots Rally Team. We apologize for the short notice, but this falls in line with our core values and if you are available please attend our protest...

Free lecture by Rev. Robin Hoover

Cuyahoga Community College invites community members to attend three free lectures by Rev. Robin Hoover, President and Founder of Humane Borders. He will address the topic of Humane Borders: the Moral Argument for Reform.

Immigration concerns the whole population and affects newcomers to this Nation. Rev. Hoover's lecture will be particularly interesting and informative to the Hispanic population, which includes a high percentage of relatively new immigrants, and confronts important issues in the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Rev. Hoover will talk about the mission and initiatives of Humane Borders, as well as the issues surrounding immigrants to the United States: legalizing the undocumented; beginning a responsible guest worker program; increasing the number of visas for Mexican nationals; demilitarizing the border; supporting economic development in Mexico, and providing federal social services for the undocumented.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Our neighbor's daughter goes to Georgetown University-Washington DC and just received this email, which she forwarded to us. Why is he spending time speaking with students @ Gtown instead of addressing us, here in Ohio?

Based on the zip code of your home, it appears that you are either a constituent of (or near since some zip codes are shared by multiple Congressional districts, live near the district of) Congressman Dennis Kucinich, I wanted to make sure you were aware that he is speaking here on campus at the invitation of the group,Georgetown Solidarity Committee.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich on Universal Health Care: Keeping a Public Option on the Table

Wednesday September 23

White-Gravenor 201 A

8:00-9:30 p.m.

Below is the description from Georgetown Solidarity Committee about the Congressman's talk:

Representative Dennis Kucinich will be speaking on the subject of /Universal HealthCare:

Keeping a Public Option on the Table/. Mr. Kucinich (D-OH) has twice run for U.S. President, both times citing universal health careas the preeminent issue motivating his campaigns, saying, "no injustice is greater in this country than the fact that 30 million people go without health insurance in this, the richest nation in the world." As one of the most vocal advocates for publicly-financed health care, he is currently galvanizing support on Capitol Hill for an amendment to House Resolution 3600. If it passes, this resolution would allow for individual states to adopt single-payer health care systems if they so choose.

The address will be an overview of the health care debate from Mr. Kucinich's perspective as well as a legislative update on his amendment (which currently has 86 cosponsors). He will speak for 30-40 minutes to be followed by a question/answer session.

The one State Senator willing to stand for something and the one we can continually count on as truly being a voice for OH residents down in Columbus is again fighting to protect our best interest.A strong supporter of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots & our friend, State Senator Tim Grendell, unlike many other elected officials, see's a problem or something wrong and he acts. Grendell wants to close the loophole in OH law allowing some elected officials & public employees convicted of corruption from collecting thier pensions.

State legislators passed the pension forfeiture law last year following a series of public scandals ranging from Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and Coingate to an embezzling downstate sheriff. The crimes triggering forfeiture include bribery, a pattern of corrupt activity and theft in office.But it appears most of the eight public employees found guilty so far in the federal probe have jobs that do not fall within the scope of the state forfeiture law. Only J. Kevin Kelley could be affected -- and only because of his role as an elected Parma school board member, not in his position with the Cuyahoga County engineer's office.Convicted employees must hold jobs of sufficient importance to lose their pensions. Positions include elected officials, members of boards or commissions appointed by the governor or attorney general, public employees required to file disclosure statements with the state, prosecutors and law directors, as well as local and state police."You're trying to get the guys who can improperly benefit from the use of public funds," Grendell said. (Cleveland.com)

Speaking on the Bob Frantz Show the other evening, Senator Grendell urged everyone to contact your State Senator and ask they join him in sponsoring this legislation.You can find your State Senators contact information byclicking here.

Statement of Andy Stern, President of SEIUWASHINGTON DC--Andy Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union, issued the following statement today regarding recent attempts of right wing extremists to silence working families by attacking progressive individuals and community organizations:

"This is a moment of profound change for this country--from kitchen tables to town halls to the floor of the Senate, this nation is engaged in a vigorous and heated debate about how we rebuild our economy, solve our national healthcare crisis and restore the American Dream.

"As has always happened when progressive change is in the air, the backlash gets fierce, ugly and anti-American. This time is no different. Right now, there is an insidious and coordinated effort on the part of the extreme right to target individuals and grassroots community groups as a way to silence the voices of women and men who have suffered the most under 8 years of right wing policies.

"These extremists will attempt to shut down and shout down anyone with a different point of view.

"Let's be clear who we are talking about--call them attack dogs, call them Teabaggers, call them Glenn Beck--these are the same folks who cheered the policies that crashed our economy. Who make up lies about death panels to try to kill healthcare reform. Who scream about democracy while denying workers a voice on the job. Who target anyone who poses a threat to a status quo that for too long has rewarded greedy CEOs while leaving people who work out in the cold.

"This is not the America we believe in.

"Their lies, their stunts and their smears will not silence us. Glenn Beck, FOX News and their pals have demonstrated that they don't care about what janitors, security officers, nurses, teachers, and other hardworking Americans go through each day trying to give their kids a better future. But make no mistake--these hardworking women and men will not be the next casualty of the cruel and cheap attempts of a loud and venomous minority to silence people who want to restore the American Dream.

"We are going to make sure healthcare is affordable and accessible for every man, woman and child in this country. We are going to demand transparency and accountability in the financial industry. We are going to create a fair and just path to citizenship. We are going to make sure workers get a voice on the job. And we will protect our democracy by calling out those extremists who would silence the voices of women and men who work each day."

The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society.

A review of campaign contributions from the 1990-2008 election cycles (info from www.opensecrets.org) shows that Ohio politicians received the following amounts from SEIU:

Friday, September 18, 2009

Senate Amendment 2410 would have limited the use of tax payer dollars for a big pork project in Pennsylvania. Mr. Brown and Mr. Voinovich voted “no” to stopping the wasteful spending of our money. We will be contacting both Senator’s offices to ask them to explain their vote.

- Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee and Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, announced he will offer an amendment to end taxpayer subsidies for the John Murtha Airport, a little used 650-acre facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that has received at least $200 million in taxpayer funding. U.S. Congressman John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania), who the airport was named after, has personally directed $150 million in federal funds to the facility even though it only has 3 flights daily to one destination: Washington, D.C. In May, the House failed to halt funding to Murtha’s airport by a vote of 263-154.

“This is a test to see how serious we are about stopping wasteful spending. If we can’t stop this ridiculous abuse of taxpayer funds for a deserted airport, we can’t stop anything,” said Senator DeMint. “Hundreds of thousands of Americans just marched on Washington to protest out-of-control spending and debt. Millions of Americans are speaking out, but are we listening? This airport -- where the staff and taxpayer-funded buildings outnumber the passengers -- is a national embarrassment.”

“Congress must earn back America’s trust, and we can begin by drawing a line here. No more tax dollars to wasteful boondoggles that serve as monuments to politicians. Enough is enough. Sadly, the House failed to stop this, but the Senate has a chance to stand up for taxpayers. How can any of us justify to our children and grandchildren that we increased their taxes and debt to fund this waste?”

MORE INFORMATION ON MURTHA AIR-PORK

• Named the John Murtha Airport, 650-acre state-of-the-art facility in Johnstown, PA • Received $200 million in federal funds over 20 years, $150 million steered by Murtha himself, who uses the airport for campaign stops • Only 3 flights daily, to only one destination: Washington, D.C. (Dulles airport) • Averages 20 passengers daily • Received $800,000 in stimulus funds this year to repave a backup runway, even though the airport manager says there are no safety issues with the current runway. • Has an $8.5 million radar system paid for by taxpayers, that remains unstaffed and unused. • Airport passenger count has fallen by 50% in the past 10 years, as federal funds continue to pour in • Federal funds subsidize every flight into the airport, an average of $100 per passenger on each flight

Thursday, September 17, 2009

They will probably claim that they were voting against the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 but...

Attached to that legislation was "The Defund ACORN Act".

The Defund ACORN Act prohibits any "federal contract grant, cooperative agreement or any other form of agreement (including a memorandum of understanding" from being awarded to or entered into with the group. It also prohibits federal funds "in any other form" from being provided.

The final vote was 345 to "defund ACORN", 75 against defunding ACORN, 2 simply stated present and 11 did not vote.

Guess who were among the 75 against defunding ACORN? Kucinich and Fudge.

Please, for the sake of our country, for the sake of our county, for the sake of our cities, do not forget that these 2 voted to continue giving our tax dollars to ACORN!

check out these sites for more details:http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll718.xmlhttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/17/house-votes-strip-acorn-federal-funding/

Even though the Senate/House both voted to defund ACORN, don't get too excited just yet! Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. said this:

"The battle, however, to deny ACORN federal funding is not over until the president signs the bill into law. ACORN gave significant support to Democrats and Americans must remain vigilant to avoid backtracking or efforts to water down prohibitions denying Federal funds to this corrupt organization."

So now the question is this, we know where the Senate stands, we know where the Congress stands, how long will it be before we know where the President stands on ACORN?

We all know there's differing degrees of lying, often one sees it as a little white lie and another calls it bold lie.

Most of us agree calling the president a liar during his nationall televised speech is inappropriate. But how many agree it's ok for the president to lie to the nation during a speech?

Obama told us the right has been attacking his plan but offer no suggestions and have no plan of their own. He tells us the conservatives want to stand pat with the current healthcare system with no reform. He also told us he's looking forward to alternatives and is willing to sit down and discuss other Bi-patisan suggestions/options but has rebuffed them at every turn.

Yet there have been many bills put forward that have been ignored by both the left and the biased media. In many cases ther has been actions to supress them.

The GOP has proposed more than 30 health care reform bills in the house this year.Some serious legislation addressing Portability, Pre-existing conditions, costs and other issues that trouble the American consumers.

How about HR 3400 that was proposed in July - The empowering Patients First Act or HR 2520 - The Patients Choice Act? HR 3217 and HR 3218 - The Health care Choice Act and the Improving Health Care for all Americans Act?

A search of the LexisNexis database of newspapers, magazines, TV programs and Major Blogs finds about 3,000 mentions of the major House Democratic bill HR 3200 that Obama supports, in the past six months. Those are just the stories that refer to the bill by it's House Number, there have been thousands more stories referring generally to the Democratic legislation.

A similar search found only 60 mentions of the GOP HR 3400 put forth by Rep. Tom Price of Georgia who heads the the GOP study committee. Another Republican bill, HR 2520 by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin only received 12 mentions in the same time period. The two others, HR 3217 and HR 3218 by Rep. John Shadegg only received 20 mentions.

The virtual media embargo on reporting Republican legislation has allowed democrats and their allies in the media to keep up the "Republicans have no plan" attack. Just hours after the presidents speech, for example, the DNC released a new commercial claiming that Republicans "REFUSE" to offer a plan to reform the healthcare system.

Talk about propagating LIES !

Just for the record, in case you want to check then out, these are the Republican Bills proposed, so far;

This amendment would have stopped the use of stimulus money for “self-congratulatory signage” which allows the Federal government to “promote spending of taxpayers’ dollars on stimulus projects”; you’ve probably seen the signs along some of our local highways.

Senator Gregg stated that the cost of these signs could be between $6-20 million.

The final vote was 52 against this amendment; 45 for the amendment (2 did not vote—Senators from WVA).

Can you guess how our wonderful Senators voted?

Brown voted against, Voinovich voted for the amendment.

Question (which we intend to email Mr. Brown about): Why is it necessary to continue to waste taxpayer’s money on these signs?

Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) introduced an amendment to the HUD and Transportation appropriation bill to strip ACORN of all federal funding. A week ago, Johanns wouldn’t have gotten the amendment to the floor. Today, however, after three straight days of BigGovernment.com’s video exposés of ACORN offices in Washington DC, New York City, and Baltimore offering assistance to pimping, tax evasion, and trafficking in underage Salvadorean girls, Johanns not only got his vote — but he got an impressive bipartisan showing. The Senate passed the Johanns amendment 83-7.

At the beginning of the vote, it appeared that Democrats might resist. Initially, a half-dozen Democrats cast votes in opposition to the amendment. A few more cast votes against it as the rest of the Senate voted, but the tide appeared to shift. More and more Democrats signed onto the amendment, and votes started changing. One male voice could be heard in the chamber saying, “I want to change my vote!” Among those who changed their votes: Tom Udall (D-NM), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Herb Kohl (D-WI).

I do not have the official roll call record of the vote yet, but three of the seven Democrats voting against the bill were Dick Durbin (D-IL), Roland Burris (D-IL), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). I’ll get the rest in a few minutes, but it’s worth repeating what Jim Geraghty said on the Twitter stream: “Who were the seven Child-Whoring Pimp Assistance Program defenders?”

The big question will be whether the House follows suit. Nancy Pelosi may not be inclined to let an amendment come to the floor, but James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles may not be done yet, either. A few more of these videos and even Pelosi will have little choice but to slam the door on ACORN. The big test will be whether the Johanns amendment survives a conference committee. This isn’t over yet.

Update: Thanks to Sean Hackbarth, we have the list of seven nays on the amendment so that the Child-Whoring Pimp Assitance 7 can be publicly identified:

Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Roland Burris (D-IL)

Robert Casey (D-PA)

Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

So can we assume that Illinois and Vermont are especially sympathetic to child-whoring pimp assistance?

Meanwhile, Jerry Schmetterer, director of public information for the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, told FOXNews.com that officials will be “taking a look” into Brooklyn’s ACORN office.

“We are going to be taking a look at the situation,” Schmetterer said Monday.

A spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said ACORN’S tax status as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization should also be probed.

“We’ve already seen the Census Bureau severe its tie with ACORN,” the spokesman, Kurt Bardella, told FOXNews.com. “Certainly, as an organization being subsidized by taxpayer dollars, their relationship with other government entities should be called into question, and whether or not it’s appropriate for them to receive taxpayer dollars.”

Sunday, September 13, 2009

My posts on this site have been and usually will be about film-making as a Christian and conservative in Hollywood, but because President Obama’s speech the other night was more about theatre and performance than actual policy (speeches have zero to do with the crafting of legislation, which is done in war rooms by politicians who care nothing about rhetoric), I figured I would chime in.

Here are a few of the President’s statements with a response:

“If companies don’t do right by their workers and offer them insurance…”

This comment drives me insane. Why is offering health benefits “doing right,” but not offering them “doing wrong?” Isn’t the fact that the company even hired them in the first place “doing them right?” Employees know what they’re getting when they get a job, and if they demand health coverage as part of their employment, they can go work for someone else if their boss doesn’t offer it to them. Purchasing health coverage for your employees is extraordinarily expensive; sometimes simply hiring the person is all an employee can afford.

And, by the way, offering health care to employees wasn’t always the norm. But eventually it became part of a job offer–”Instead of paying you $60,000 and you paying $10K a year for your health coverage, I’ll pay you $50,000 a year and give you health coverage, and then you won’t be taxed for that $10K.” It’s a privilege, a bonus, a cool thing…it’s not a RIGHT, and not offering it isn’t necessarily “doing wrong.”

“We will require everyone to get health insurance, just like many states force you to have auto insurance.”

Wow. He has big stones to say something like this. For one thing, the reason you’re forced to have auto insurance is to cover OTHERS, not yourself. You’re driving a big dangerous machine, and if you injure someone with it, you better have a way to guarantee payment. For another, auto insurance can be purchased across state lines, so you have true competition. Finally, and most importantly, you’re not forced to drive a car! So if you don’t own a car, you don’t have to get auto insurance!

What a horrible metaphor.

One other thing about forcing people to have health insurance; this, like forcing insurance companies to cover all this preventative stuff, and forcing people to participate in it, is such a nanny state – big brother mentality. Sure, it’s smart for people to be more preventative, but do we want government forcing it on us? Is this freedom? What’s next? Forcing people to work out three times a week and banning sugar? They’re already banning the sale of trans-fats in California and New York and are trying to legally force restaurants to put calorie information on the friggin’ menu.

Forcing people to purchase health insurance is lunacy (not to mention possibly unconstitutional), especially considering one of his reasons–”because when someone goes to the emergency room without insurance, we all have to pay for it.” Why is that? Why can’t they get billed? Why shouldn’t they be expected to pay for the cost of being treated? And if they literally can’t afford it because they never got insurance (low cost, high-deductible insurance that covers only big emergencies, like with auto insurance), there are charities/churches/private groups. And if those are unable, then there are extreme and rare cases in which the state can provide a safety net (like with welfare). But that should be the last resort, not policy.

“According to the Congressional Budget Office, only 5% of Americans will sign up for the public option.”

Nice little stat there, except he left out two things: One, only 15% of Americans don’t have insurance anyway (notice how he lowered the number of uninsured in this speech from 45 million to “over 30 million,” because he realized that the 45 million figure included illegal immigrants?), so a better way to say it would have been, “one in three uninsured will sign up for the government option. Two, the Congressional Budget Office he quoted is the same group saying his plan will operate at a deficit, which he denies. So why does he trust the CBO for the stat above?

Hmm. Well, that’s partly true, except the difference is that there are thousands of different public universities to choose from, which means they compete with each other, whereas President Obama’s proposing one government plan. Also, most public universities are state run and funded, not nationally run and funded. And again…NO ONE’S FORCING ANYONE TO GO TO COLLEGE, whereas President Obama wants to force you to have insurance, so again, it’s a crappy metaphor.

“You shouldn’t be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition.”

Then why ever get insurance in the first place? Oh, never mind, he’s going to force you to do it. Forgot that part.

“It will be against the law for an insurance company to drop you just because you get sick.”

It already is. Let me repeat that. It already is. As long as you make timely payments, it’s against the law for an insurance company to simply drop you because you got sick.

To close, President Obama has been making some very interesting statements about Medicare. I’ve been attacking Medicare in health care debates for awhile. I’ve used it as an example of a poorly run government program that should scare us from wanting government to have a bigger role (along with FEMA, DMV, post office, etc.). And my liberal friends usually respond by defending Medicare, pointing out its high approval ratings and efficiency. Well, I appreciated President Obama tonight acknowledging that Medicare is a problem, because he said that one of the biggest ways the government option would be paid for is with the elimination of waste and fraud in Medicare.

Get that?

We’re going to pay for this new big government program by eliminating all the mess and mistakes from the other one. Yes, the other program has wasted HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, enough to nearly pay for this new program, but trust me…we’ll do this one better.

President Obama said something similar about the post office, another government program we on the right attack. He said, “Government competition hasn’t hurt FedEx and UPS; in fact, it’s the post office that usually has the problems.” Um…so this is supposed to give us confidence in your new government program?

Not all President Obama said was bad. And of course, the beginnings and ends of his speeches are always great, and I’m guessing support for him and the plan will go up in the next week based on this speech. But most likely it’ll return to earth in a couple weeks, and we’ll be back where we started.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

This past summer, we visited Shanksville, PA and the memorial to the heroes of Flight 93. We thought we’d share a few photos with you as we remember all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

God Bless America

*In case you've never been here, the flag in the middle of this field marks the hallowed ground of Flight 93.

As health insurance reform is debated in Congress, U.S. Senator Brown wants to hear from you. In addition to forums on health insurance reform Senator Brown held in Ohio during August, Senator Brown will hold an electronic town hall TONIGHT, September 10, 2009 from 6:30pm to 7:15pm. This forum will allow Ohioans from all across the state to participate and ask questions of Senator Brown directly. Senator Brown will answer as many questions as time permits.

You will be able to ask Senator Brown questions about health insurance reform during the LIVE E-TOWN HALL by sending your questions to townhall@brown.senate.gov. You can also send questions in advance by sending to the same email address.

Awhile back, we made the mistake of writing to Howard Dean about some ridiculous comment he made and now we are on their mailing list. The Dems sure didn't waste anytime sending this out to push their agenda:

I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help.

Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.

The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.

Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people.

We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way.

We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential.

See my full plan and call on your representatives to support it:

http://my.barackobama.com/SupportReform

Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but Iam determined to be the last.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org.

This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Monday, September 7, 2009

As we near the date of 9/11, the day of one of the most vicious attacks on American soil, many of us will be going to an event honoring the fallen, their families and the heroes of that day. As everyone did 8 years ago, and for some time afterwards, partisan politics were put aside and we came together as Americans. Our leaders acted in the best interest of America and “for which we stand.”

Unfortunately, as this fateful and sacred day in our country’s history nears, instead of being respectful by honoring, commemorating and remembering the victims and their family and instead of putting partisan politics away for a day, the Ohio Republican Party insists on donning their Elephant lapel pins and going to work.

In the most disgraceful way, the State Central Committee for the Ohio Republican Party will be meeting at 10:00AM on Fri. 9/11 at the Hilton Polaris (8700 Lyra Dr. / Near the Polaris Mall) to give out state party endorsements for the May 2010 primary.

After speaking with quite a few other Cleveland Tea Party Patriots (CTPP) who were also upset about this meeting, I contacted Chairman DeWine’s office to express our concerns. I identified myself as one of the CTPP coordinators, and that I was calling with some concerns about an upcoming endorsement meeting.

It was stated that we find it offensive, and most importantly disrespectful, that the OH GOP feels the need to hold partisan political meetings on 9/11 for the reason of giving out party endorsements. Surely, with the primary race over 6 months away -- there could be no rational or justifiable reason for giving out endorsements on this sacred day. (Or so I thought!)

Furthermore, it was stated that we feel party endorsements should not be given out in primary races and that the candidates should be elected on the merits of their accomplishments and/or their proposed platforms. I then requested, that if the endorsements must be given for primary races, that at least in good taste, the endorsement meeting should rescheduled for another day.

Since the OH GOP Chairman, Kevin DeWine, or his Executive Director, Jason Mauk, refuses to return calls, we are left to go by what was stated by DeWines office staff on his behalf....

In response to my above remarks it was confirmed the meeting is being held on 9/11/09, that the endorsement meeting will go on regardless of the date and something will be done to remember the victims. It was further stated by the Chairman’s office that, “the GOP Chairman in ALL 88 county’s and ALL of the members on the OH GOP State Central Committee felt the need to ‘direct’ voters in the primary on who to vote for and that is why the endorsements will be given.”

As we can clearly see, while the OH GOP claims they hear our Tea Party Patriot message that -- we are free-thinking conservative voters, we don’t need their direction & are tired of being told who to vote for -- their actions do not show it.

If you feel it is disrespectful and offensive to meet and give out party endorsements on 9/11 and you do not to need to be told who to vote for - we are urging you to contact the OH GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine, all 88 County GOP Chairman and all GOP State Central Committee members and ask that the endorsement meeting be canceled on this sacred day and no endorsements be given out for any primary races.

If the OH GOP Chairman DeWine refuses our requests we will request that any candidate, in honoring the victims and the heroes that stood up for our freedom on that sacred day, refuse the endorsement on the grounds that 9/11 should be national day of remembrance free of partisan politics.